Mr Lissu faces a single count of treason, contrary to section 39(2)(d) of the Penal Code, allegedly committed on April 3, 2025, in Dar es Salaam
Dar es Salaam. The High Court of Tanzania is set to begin hearing the treason case against Chadema chairman Tundu Lissu, after fixing a date for the preliminary hearing and assigning a presiding judge.
Mr Lissu’s lawyer, Hekima Mwasipu, told The Citizen’s sister newspaper, Mwananchi, on Thursday, September 4, 2025, that the case, registered at the High Court’s Dar es Salaam sub-registry, is set for preliminary hearing (PH) on Monday, September 8, 2025, before Judge Dunstan Ndunguru.
Judge Ndunguru, currently serving as Resident Judge at the Iringa sub-registry, will preside over the case.
Mr Lissu faces a single count of treason, contrary to section 39(2)(d) of the Penal Code, allegedly committed on April 3, 2025, in Dar es Salaam.
Prosecutors allege that, with seditious intent, he incited the public to obstruct the 2025 General Election, while making statements exerting pressure on the Head of State.
He first appeared in court on April 10, 2025, when the charge was read at Kisutu Resident Magistrate’s Court in Dar es Salaam.
The case was initially filed at Kisutu Resident Magistrates' Court for preliminary procedures, including completion of investigations, before being transferred to the High Court for trial and judgment.
After investigations were finalised and the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) confirmed sufficient evidence, a charge sheet was filed at the High Court, where the matter was formally registered and set for hearing.
On August 18, 2025, the Kisutu court held committal proceedings, during which the accused received statements from prosecution witnesses and the documentary evidence to be relied upon.
Lead prosecutor, Senior State Attorney Nassoro Katuga, told the court the State intends to call 30 witnesses and tender nine exhibits during the High Court trial.
When invited to respond before transfer, Mr Lissu delivered a lengthy defence statement spanning 140 pages.
However, midway, presiding magistrate Principal Resident Magistrate Franco Kiswaga, who handled the committal proceedings, directed him to stop, ruling that all submissions should be reserved for the High Court.
Mr Lissu also began naming his proposed defence witnesses, but Magistrate Kiswaga intervened, instructing him to leave those matters for the High Court.
After committal proceedings ended, Magistrate Kiswaga announced the closure of the Kisutu file and ordered transfer to the High Court.
About Judge Ndunguru
Judge Ndunguru was part of a three-judge panel that heard the high-profile petition challenging the Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) on economic and social cooperation between the Government of Tanzania and Dubai over port operations.
The case, popularly referred to as the “Port Agreement case,” was filed at the Mbeya sub-registry in 2023 by Alphonce Lusako and three others against the Attorney General and associates.
The petitioners opposed the transfer of port management to Dubai’s DP World, arguing the agreement violated the Constitution by depriving the nation of a strategic resource.
The court dismissed the petition, ruling that the claims lacked merit and that the applicants had failed to substantiate their arguments.
